by Katee Robert
Except that was impossible.
Theo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. It had been easier with his mother. At ten, he was allowed emotions without worrying about appearing weak and, more importantly, his father had been there to guide him through the storm. He didn’t have a map to move through the stages of grief for his father.
Footsteps sounded, as familiar as his own. “I’m almost done.”
Silence for a beat, then two. “I’ll spot you while you finish up,” Galen said.
Theo opened his eyes to see his best friend, his lover, his Consort, standing over him. He looked as tired and worn out as Theo felt, though where Theo had lost weight, Galen had gained muscle. No telling where he found the time to work out, but the evidence was in the way his T-shirt stretched tight across his shoulders and chest and the clear definition in his legs. He couldn’t even appreciate the new changes for fear of what they indicated. Are we going to war, Galen?
Some days it certainly felt like it.
He finished up his set slowly, drawing in the burning of his muscles as he strained against the weight of the bench press. In this moment, he was perfectly present. It wouldn’t last. It never lasted. But he had right now, and it would have to be able to shore him up for the coming conversation.
Theo wiped his face with his towel and stood. “Okay, I’m done. What’s wrong?”
“Would you like a list?”
Fuck, something was wrong. Theo glanced at the door to the gym, instinctively looking for the audience they had for most of their waking hours. The door remained closed, which didn’t mean no one was listening, but it lessened the likelihood. Even with the cameras blinking in the corners of the room, they were as close to alone as they were likely to get. “Galen, talk to me.”
“Not tonight. Not like this.” Galen started for the door. “Meg had a hard day, Theo. We all did.” Subtle comment, less subtle bite. If he concentrated, Theo could almost see things unraveling around him. He’d known life wouldn’t be simple once he retook the throne, but the freedom of exile had gone to his head and he’d forgotten just how easy it could be to drown in this world.
It sure as hell seemed like all three of them were a few short breaths from doing exactly that.
Drowning.
And he didn’t know how to fix it.
This wasn’t the time or place to get into it. Darkness had fallen while Theo was preoccupied, and most of the palace staff had gone home. It didn’t leave the halls empty—they were never empty—but there were fewer people to bow and murmur greetings as he and Galen stalked toward their private suite. Theo managed to nod in response, but he schooled his expression to discourage actual conversation. In his current mood, he couldn’t guarantee what he’d say if someone tried to stop him now.
They slammed into their suite and Theo grabbed Galen’s arm before he had a chance to leave the sitting room. “What’s going on?”
“No. Fuck that. You don’t get to play the concerned partner now.” Galen shot a look toward the main rooms and lowered his voice. “You got what you wanted, Theo. You got your cake and you’re eating it, too. The first King of Thalania in history to name two Consorts. Congratu-fucking-lations.”
Theo rocked back on his heels. This conversation had been a long time in coming, and even knowing it bore down on him with all the subtly of a runaway train, he still wasn’t prepared. “You knew—”
“No. I don’t need to hear that I went into this with eyes wide open. I know I fucking did.” Galen dragged a hand over his face. “Meg has three months before school starts up again. She’s fucking miserable, Theo. She puts on a brave face for you, but underneath she’s messed up.”
And what about you?
Theo didn’t voice the words lodged in his throat. He’d learned a long time ago not to ask questions he might not want answers to, and this numbered among them. He didn’t point out that he’d given both Galen and Meg a chance to leave six months ago, and he sure as hell didn’t point out that they could leave now if they were so inclined. He might be an ass sometimes, but not about this.
Not when they’d already sacrificed so much.
He couldn’t fix this. Not yet. Things would calm down once he got the Families in line and brought his siblings around. Camilla was happy to see him, of course. Even with their father’s death, his baby sister had been kept from the worst of the political bullshit. At sixteen, she was just starting to dip her toes into the water, and he’d do whatever it took to ensure she remained safe while she figured out her own path.
Their brother was another story altogether. For just under a year, Edward had thought he’d be king. Having that taken away, rightfully or no, created a divide between them that Theo didn’t know how to fix. Especially when Edward announced his intentions to attend Oxford for university, and left within weeks of Theo’s coronation. There were a handful of nobles who’d jump at the chance to use that separation for their own ambitions, and he needed to fix it before things got worse.
But not tonight.
Tonight, he had to fix this.
Theo snagged the back of Galen’s neck. His friend resisted for a second, but then he exhaled harshly and let Theo pull him closer until their foreheads pressed together. Tell me what you need. Theo closed his eyes. Galen didn’t have to tell him. He knew what Galen needed—what they all needed. “Where is she?”
“Tub.”
Good. She’d be nice and relaxed. He tightened his grip on Galen’s neck. “The food?”
“An hour.”
Good boy. Sex wouldn’t solve any of the undercurrents in the long term, but it would help release the tension that had been growing with every passing day. Trapping the two people he loved was never part of the plan, but Theo couldn’t shake the feeling that was exactly what he’d done. He released Galen and stepped back. “Strip.”
Theo turned and walked deeper into the room without bothering to make sure Galen obeyed, knowing it would piss his friend off, and knowing that anger was exactly what he needed to purge the festering feeling beneath. At least for tonight. Tomorrow, they would talk and further clear the air. Open communication was the only way this would work, and they hadn’t spent enough time alone together to get to the heart of things in the last couple weeks.
His fault. He knew that well enough.
He’d fix it. He’d find a way to fix all of it.
Theo pulled off his shirt and tossed it over the back of the desk chair. He kicked off his shoes and then walked into the bathroom. Steam fogged the mirrors and Meg had turned off all the lights, leaving only the trio of thick candles lit on the half wall between the tub and the sinks. It gave the room a dark, intimate feeling that he approved of. He stalked to the edge of the tub and took a seat near her head. She had her eyes closed and the water licked at her breasts as if determined to offer him teasing glimpses.
“Thought you weren’t working late tonight.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. Things didn’t go well with Lord Huxley, and I didn’t want to come back here with that frustration riding so close to the surface. I needed some time to cool off.” He smoothed a hand over her hair, tangling his fingers in the dark strands. She looked good. The decadent meals the staff insisted on putting together had filled out her curves, and he couldn’t count her ribs the way he’d been able to when they first met. Theo kept stroking her hair and used his free hand to urge her to sit up a little. The new position freed him up to work at the knots of tension lining her shoulders and upper back. Tension that was his fault. “Let me take care of you tonight, princess.” Galen walked naked into the bathroom and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. Theo met his gaze steadily. “Let me take care of both of you.”
2
Meg knew what she should do. She should tell Theo that the best way to take care of her and Galen is to talk to them. But with the candlelight playing across Theo’s skin and his skillful hands working at the knots in her shoulders, she couldn’t work up the energy to
fight with him. “I’m not happy with you.”
“I know.” He dug into a particularly tight knot, working it with his thumb. “What do you need from me tonight, princess?”
She let her eyes close, let him keep working his magic on her body. Six months into their relationship, and Meg knew that Theo would give her anything she asked for. If she wanted him and Galen to dress up like Vikings and roleplay one of her favorite scenes in a romance novel she was reading, he’d do it without question. He had done it without question last month. Theo might be fucking up on communication and overworked to the point where she barely saw him, but she never doubted for a second that he loved her and wanted her happy.
She slipped beneath the surface of the water. Free of his touch, clarity didn’t suddenly strike her like lightning. If there was an answer, she didn’t have it. Meg slowly stood and let herself drink in the way Theo watched her. As if she was some kind of Aphrodite rising out of the ocean instead of standing here in their tub. “I just want you tonight, Theo. None of the bullshit. Just you.”
He nodded and grabbed one of the ridiculously large towels they kept stocked in here. “Let me take care of you tonight,” he repeated.
Easy enough to read in between the lines of what he wanted. A reprieve in a long line of reprieves. Theo was trying to hold off the inevitable conversation all three of them had to have until he could iron out the mess Thalania had become in his absence. Or maybe the backbiting politics and squabbling seven Families had always been like this. Either way, Theo wanted time to get it handled.
She just wished he’d lean on her and Galen a little bit in the meantime.
Meg stepped out of the tub and let him wrap her in the towel. “Like I’m going to say no.”
Theo dried her gently, thoroughly, making quick work of it. He had a face built for candlelight, all sharp angles and a beauty that was damn near painful to witness. The passing time should have inoculated her to the sight of him, but then he would turn just so or look at her with those big blue eyes, and she’d forget to breathe.
“You could.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You could say no.”
Meg laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Theo, have you looked in the mirror lately?”
He glanced over, and she followed his gaze to the large mirror situated on the other side of the bath. They painted quite the picture, him large and towering over her, his shock of near-black hair several shades darker than hers, his big hands holding the towel against her skin. For once, he wasn’t wearing his usual clothing of suits that cost enough to give Meg hives. In the workout shorts, he looked… Not normal. Theo would never be anything as mundane as normal.
He looked touchable.
So that was exactly what she did. Meg ran her hands up his stomach to his chest and stepped to him. “I know I could say no. I’ve said no to you more times than I can count since we’ve met.” She cupped his strong jaw with her palm. “Theo, are you okay?”
“No.” He pulled her slowly, inexorably closer, until her breasts pressed against his bare chest. “Just… Let me take care of you tonight, princess.”
The rare vulnerability he let her see in that moment seduced her as thoroughly as his body ever had. She nodded. “Yes.”
Theo swept her off her feet and carried her out of the bathroom. Normally, she’d give him shit for such a caveman move, but Meg didn’t want to poke at him tonight. She was tired and heartsore, and both her men were obviously feeling the same. They couldn’t fix the mess waiting for them outside those doors, but they could strengthen their foundations tonight.
She just hoped it would be enough.
Galen waited for them on the bed, clothed in only his skin. Her heart skipped a beat. As much as Theo’s beauty seduced her, Galen’s raw sex appeal knocked her right in the stomach. His dusky skin was crisscrossed with lighter scars, a testament to the abuse his father had leveled at him as a child. His dark hair had grown longer, losing the military-like cut. She liked it. There was a lot to like about Galen.
He watched Theo carry her toward him with a predatory look that sent a bolt of desire through her. Only good things came from Galen getting that expression on his face.
Theo set her on the bed just out of reach and pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Don’t move.” He was only gone a moment, disappearing back into the bathroom and reappearing with a hairbrush. He took up a position against the headboard and urged her to sit between his legs with her back to him.
Theo began carefully brushing her wet hair.
Meg closed her eyes and let the gentle tug of the brush soothe her. The fluffy towel and Theo’s proximity kept her cozy, but Galen’s attention pricked along her skin, a promise of things to come. On and on it went. Theo was never one to do things halfway, but he seemed to enjoy the slow slide of the brush through her drying hair as much as she did.
Finally, he set the brush aside and eased her back against his chest. Her hair was almost dry at this point, but Theo moved its soft weight off her neck and pressed a kiss to her throat. He pulled the towel away from her body and tossed it off the bed, leaving them skin to skin. It felt good to be wrapped up in him like this. Even better than his brushing her hair.
The mattress dipped and Meg opened her eyes to find Galen had moved to a point just past their feet for a better view. He arched a dark eyebrow at her, but something soft and intimate marred the arrogance of the expression. He needed this reaffirming as much as she did.
For once, no one colored the air around them with filthy words and dirty talk. Theo stroked his hands over her body, the rough slide of his palms across her skin sending her nerves sparking in response. She writhed a little, but he wouldn’t be guided. He paid equal attention to her arms, her shoulders, her stomach and her hips, avoiding her breasts and pussy.
The damn tease.
Finally, a small eternity later, he cupped her breasts, giving them the same slow exploration delivered to the rest of her body. Meg couldn’t stop herself from arching up to press herself more firmly into his hands.
“Impatient,” he murmured against her skin.
“Can you blame her?” Galen’s rough tone made Meg shiver. He reached down and palmed his own cock. “She’s shaking with need.”
Meg grabbed Theo’s hand. She spread her legs wide, hooking them on either side of Theo’s, making sure to give Galen a good show. “Take care of me, baby.” She pressed his hand to her pussy. “You promised.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Theo cupped her there roughly, possessively, the touch lighting a spark beneath Meg’s skin. He pushed a single finger into her, still teasing, not offering nearly enough of what she craved. His voice curled around her, just as intimate as their current position. “I’m feeling generous tonight, princess, so I’ll let you choose how we give it to you. Do you want me here?” He pushed a second finger into her and then withdrew. “Or here.” Theo pressed his wet fingers to her ass.
Meg shivered. “Galen takes the other?”
“You wouldn’t deny him, would you?”
As if she didn’t spend far too much of her time craving the feeling of being pinned between them in every way possible, both their cocks filling her until she lost herself completely. Of the unique closeness and trust that came from this particular kind of fucking.
“In fact…” Theo slid his hands beneath her ass and lifted her higher against his chest. “Come have a taste, Galen. An appetizer for both of you.”
Galen didn’t hesitate. He crawled up the mattress to lay between their spread thighs and adjusted Meg against Theo’s body until he had her where he wanted her. Unlike Theo, Galen didn’t tease this time. He just descended on her pussy like he could work out all his frustration with his tongue on her clit.
Theo kept her pinned in place with one hand on her hip, but the other he laced through Galen’s hair, holding his face against her. As if he wasn’t already fucking her with his tongue like he could never get enough.
Pleasure
coiled inside her, tighter and tighter. She reached down and covered Theo’s hand with hers and used her other to lace through Galen’s hair on the other side of his head. “Oh god, Galen. That feels so good.”
He growled against her skin, the sound vibrating her clit. Theo laughed softly. “Can you feel how she tenses when you do that? She’s so fucking close.”
His words and Galen’s mouth were too much. Galen sucked her clit hard and that was it. Meg orgasmed, writhing against him even as he softened his touch to the barest brushing of his breath against her sensitized skin.
“Mmm.” Galen gave her one last lick and rose over their bodies to give first Theo and then Meg a devastating kiss. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Meg turned in Theo’s arms and climbed up to straddle him, well aware that he allowed her to do it. She hesitated, but he didn’t give her a chance to decide how to play this. He guided her down onto his cock, slowly and surely spearing her to the hilt, his hands on her hips locking her in place. She felt more than heard Galen move away to grab the lube they kept stocked in the nightstand and return to take up a place behind her.
She tensed. She couldn’t help it.
No matter how many times they did this, how intensely she craved the whole experience, there was always a moment of oh god, I’ve made a mistake as the second cock pushed into her. This time offered no exception.
Galen ran his hand up her spine even as he sank another inch into her ass, slowly and steadily working deeper. “Breathe, baby.”
“We’ve got you.” Theo cradled her face and kissed her softly, his lips and tongue devastatingly gentle, the feeling all the more overwhelming because of the almost-uncomfortable way they filled her. The stroke of his tongue against hers told her more clearly than words how much he cherished her, how much he loved her.
